I received an
email dated May
27, 2013 from a
lady who loves her
dog very much. I
always feel the
loss of my
client's older dog
from illness or
cancer at nearly
14 years of age.
The dog was said to
have suffered from
lymphoma. At 9
years of age, I
spayed her as she
was suffering from
open pyometra and
being old, some
vets would not
operate on her.
She survived the
anaesthesia and
the surgery in
2008. She thrived due to the
high quality of
care from the
couple.
May 27, 2013
Dear Dr.
Sing,
It has been
a long time
since we
last
communicated.
I hope you
have been
well. I see
you have
been busy
traveling
now that you
have more or
less retired
from running
your clinic
full time. I
do see from
your website
that you
still work
at Toa Payoh
Vets
part-time.
CC passed
away last
month on 22
April 2013,
just a week
short of her
14th
birthday.
She had
been
diagnosed
with chronic
kidney
failure for
a couple of
years and in
May 2012 she
collapsed
and was very
lethargic.
She spent 4
nights at
the vet on
IV drip and
that
hospital
stay
restarted
her kidneys.
Since she
came home on
17 May 2012
to the last
day of her
life, I had
been giving
her daily
subcutaneous
fluid
injections
at home. As
you know,
this was
only to
maintain her
quality of
life, and
not a form
of
treatment.
CC had
always been
patient and
brave with
the daily
jabs. In
the end it
was not the
kidney
failure that
took away
her life,
but an
undiagnosed
gastro-intestinal
tumor that
grew so
aggressively.
In the last
one week of
her life,
she was in
and out of
hospital 3
times,
staying
around 2
nights each
time. On
her last
night at
home, she
pooed blood,
had 4
seizures and
was just so
weak. She
passed away
on Monday
morning
22 April
at the vet
clinic on
the
operating
table after
the vet Dr.
XXX opened
her up and
found the
cancer was
too big and
deep.
I thought I
should write
to let you
know. As
you know, CC
has always
been very
precious to
R and me. I
tried my
best as long
as I could
and poor CC
hung on to
stay with me
too, but it
was just too
tough for
her
physically.
I always
remember you
as her first
vet and look
upon you
with utmost
respect
because you
were the one
who operated
on her when
she was 9
years old
when no
other vet in
Singapore
would. It
was after
that surgery
you
performed
when I
nursed her
back to
health that
our bond
deepened. I
still keep
digital and
printed
records of
that spay
surgery as
well as the
dental
scaling you
performed
for her.
Thank you
very much
for your
kindness to
my beloved
CC.
Best
regards,
L
EMAIL REPLY
FROM DR SING
dated May
28, 2013
Thank you
for updating
me about CC
and please
accept my
condolences.
Do let me
know if I
can be of
any help or
to talk to.
She lived to
a ripe old
age of 14
years and I
am most
happy that
she has been
well cared
for, judging
from the
images I see
from your
blog which I
visited now
and then.
P.S. I
phoned the
owner as
emails are
very
impersonal
and it would
be too much
grief for
her to phone
me.
Old dogs are a
high risk
anaesthetic
case and it
is not
surprising
that the
other vet
did not want
to do it as
death on the
operating
table ruins
the vet's
reputation
since some
owners will
post on
internet
forums,
Facebook and
blogs
publicising
his name,
practice and
the dog's
death for
the whole
world to
know.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
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